New Releases by Joyce Dunbar

Mole wakes happily from a dream where he has discovered the secret of happiness. The problem is, he suddenly can''t remember what it is! Join Mouse and Mole in three delightful, everyday adventures, from sitting down for a good read but unable to settle, to taking a leisurely stroll that turns into errands. Both children and adults can learn from the stories in Mouse & Mole: The Secret of Happiness and will develop an appreciation for friendships. James Mayhew''s charming illustrations alongside Joyce Dunbar''s good-natured stories will captivate readers of all ages.

Mouse and Mole are two unlikely friends who love spending time with each other - and they can''t help getting caught up in silly adventures! From giving their friendship a fresh start, to deciding on a toy boat to sail on the pond, and creatively avoiding a storm on their walk home, Mouse and Mole discover a newfound appreciation of each other and have fun along the way. Joyce Dunbar returns with three tales of exciting adventures, strong friendship, and unexpected discoveries in Mouse & Mole: A Fresh Start. Young readers and adults will be captivated by James Mayhew''s soft illustrations that perfectly capture Mouse and Mole''s bond.

Celebrate this festive season with three brand new Mouse and Mole short stories by Joyce Dunbar and James Mayhew. Snowmole Mole wakes one morning to find the ground is covered in snow! Mouse and Mole decide to build their very own snowy friend – Snowmole – but Mole doesn’t want to leave him alone so decides to keep him company all night long and wakes to find another snowy surprise. Lo and Behold! Mole is impatiently waiting for Christmas to come when Mouse presents Mole with a brilliant gift – an advent calendar! Mouse and Mole use the advent calendar to countdown to Christmas and complete all the festive chores that need to be done and before they know it…it’s Christmas Eve! A Bump in the Night Late at night on Christmas Eve, Mouse and Mole are getting ready for bed, when they realise they’ve forgotten a few important tasks – putting the stockings by the chimney, leaving the mince pies and cherry brandy out for Father Christmas and sending their Christmas lists – but as they finish these jobs something goes BUMP! in the night…

Mouse and Mole''s charming, gentle and humourous adventures continue in this new addition to the much-loved series.Contains three stories:1. The Secret of HappinessMole dreams that he finds the secret of happiness and wakes a grumpy Mouse to tell him, but then Mole instantly forgets! Mole spends all day trying to remember, bringing Mouse and all their friends to join his search, but will he manage to discover the secret again?2. This Way and ThatMole sets off for a walk going this way and that, but Mouse keeps asking him to run errands for him. But why is Mouse making Mole run these seemingly useless errands, and will Mole ever be able to go for his care-free wander?3. A Good ReadMouse and Mole sit down for a good read, but Mole can''t stop fidgeting and distracting Mouse. Whether it''s finding a place to sit, having hiccups, itching and scratching or yawning, Mole just can''t stay still.

Best friends Mouse and Mole experience life''s daily misadventures together as they wait for the perfect day to have their picnic.

"Mole often stumbles into precarious situations, from delicately handling the first daffodil of spring to trimming his uneven whisker lengths. Luckily, he has his best friend Mouse to guide him through each scenario-even when he least expects it!"--

Mouse and Mole try to give their friendship a fresh start but realise they can''t go without seeing each other, even for a day. Mouse and Mole''s charming, gentle and humourous adventures continue in this new addition to the much-loved series, perfect for shared reading with younger children and for older children to read independently.

Join the two friends in three brand new adventures by author illustrator team Joyce Dunbar and James Mayhew.A Fresh Start:Mouse and Mole try to give their friendship a fresh start but realise they can''t go without seeing each other, even for a day.Hip-Dip-Dip:When Mole is unable to decide which toy boat he likes best, Mouse suggests ''hip-dip-dip'' to help him make his choice.A Bolt from the Blue:Mouse and Mole try to avoid a storm by running, crawling and sitting it out, until they realise it''s impossible to know when a bolt from the blue will strike and to make the best of their situation.The latest in a series of gentle and humorous stories by acclaimed author and illustrator team Joyce Dunbar and James Mayhew. ''Warm and witty illustrations... perfect to snuggle up with on a chilly afternoon'' Practical Parenting''Children will love the simple adventures of these two unlikely companions'' The School Librarian''Characters that stand alongside the greats of children''s literature... They work their magic not just on children, but on parents too...'' The Sunday Telegraph

Book Band: Lime, ideal for ages 6+ A powerful and personal story from Joyce Dunbar about what it''s like to experience hearing difficulties. ''Joyce Dunbar is one of the best writers for children today.'' Guardian Dylan can''t hear as well as he used to be able to and he doesn''t want to be different from his friends - he wants things to go back to the way they used to be. As his hearing gets worse he becomes more and more isolated from his friends. Luckily his dog Pluto is there to keep him down to earth... This heartwarming story from Joyce Dunbar has beautiful black-and-white illustrations by John Shelley and is perfect for children who are developing as readers. The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with book-banded stories to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2 by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence. With engaging illustrations and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for home and school. For more information visit www.bloomsburyreaders.com. ''Any list that brings together such a quality line up of authors is going to be welcomed ... Bloomsbury Readers are aimed squarely at children in Key Stage 2 and designed to support them as they start reading independently and while they continue to gain confidence and understanding.'' Books for Keeps

When Mouse makes himself a hammock, Mole is only too happy to test it for his friend, and Mouse is equally eager to help Mole find his lost spectacles. But who will catch the falling leaf?

Simple pastimes help Mouse and Mole realise there''s something special in everything, including themselves.

When Duck’s grumpiness becomes contagious, what can possibly turn it around? Duck is in a very grumpy mood. The pond is dry, and she doesn’t want to roll in the mud with Pig, sing with Rooster, doze with Tortoise, eat laundry with Goat, or join any of the other animals in their pastimes. To make matters worse, the gray cloud that’s following Duck is growing bigger by the minute, and now her friends are feeling gloomy as well. What will it take to cheer them all up? Two prolific picture-book creators look to the skies for a humorous tale of not-fair-weather friendship.

An enchanting Christmas picture book about the magic and anticipation of Christmas Eve. There''s only one more sleep till Christmas, and Lucas and Willow, the moon and the stars are all waiting... Waiting for Christmas morning, and presents, and mince pies and fun. But, unbeknown to Lucas and Willow, the magic has already begun. As silently and secretly the toys come to life... Perfect for sharing on Christmas Eve, this atmospheric story will soon become a new festive tradition. Written by master storyteller Joyce Dunbar, with stunning, classic illustrations from award-winning artist Victoria Turnbull.

Meet Tibs, son of Toodle, son of Tiddles, son of Toby. A trusted employee of the Post Office. Tibs is paid 2s 6d a week to catch mice but he prefers making friends with them! Join Tibs on a curious cat and mouse adventure where everything is not quite what it seems.... There was trouble at the Post Office: holes in the mails sacks! Letters torn to shreds! Stamps licked through to the glue! When the postmaster discovers that mice are to blame, he decides to employ a brave new cat to sort them out. Tibs comes from a long line of Post Office cats, so his new career should be a piece of cake, except that instead of catching the mice, Tibs would rather make friends with them! Can Tibs teach them how to tidy up, instead of nibbling the post, and will he be able to deliver the reward that he promised? Soon, these unlikely friends are on an adventure that takes them down to the underground Mail Rail where, together, Tibs and the mice find themselves catching more than they bargained for! This charming story based on the life of a real cat called Tibs who was employed by Post Office in the 1950s to catch mice, earning a tidy sum of 2s 6d a week for his dedicated service. With a career spanning 14 years, the real Tibs became a Post Office celebrity. Featuring a cast of warm and loveable characters, this book will have children captivated by a nostalgic world of stamps, letters and underground mail trains.

A rollicking, read-aloud rhyme featuring Plunkett, the plucky pink pig.

Meditation and visualization, if approached in an inventive and appealing manner, bring enormous benefits to children. It can calm their anxieties, build their self-esteem, and teach them quietness and thoughtfulness. Consisting of 20 narrative-based meditations, this book, the follow-up to the hugely successful Nightlights, offers even more stories to help your child find inner calm and emotional balance and is designed for parents to use with any child between ages 4 and 8.

Mother-daughter team Joyce and Polly Dunbar offer a sweet and whimsical confection for babies, inspired by a nursery rhyme. It’s late at night, and everyone is sleeping—except for pat-a-cake baby! All dressed up in his chef’s coat and hat, baby wants to make a very special cake. Time to wake up Candy baby, Jelly baby, and Allsorts baby—miniature cherubic figures who float through the pages to lend a hand. One by one, they add ingredients, from glitzy sugar to yolky jokey eggs, until it’s time to bake, pat, and decorate the cake. Finally it’s ready for tasting, just in time for a special guest (the man in the moon!) to have a slice. This surreal and colorful treat is just right for sending little ones off to dreamland.

Nightlights is a book of stories to read to children, but stories with a difference. It''s a collection of twenty interactive meditation stories that have bene specially written to calm and relax your child at bedtime, while at the same time engaging and stimulating his or her imagination. These stories also help children in many other important ways. They help them to focus their minds and develop their powers of concentration and visualization, as well as learn more about emotions and feelings. Although not meditations in the strict sense, they do serve as a good preparation for learning real meditation later on. They also foster imagination and creativity, help children deal with their burgeoning anxieties, and help them take their first steps towards developing their own unique identity. In the Introduction, Civardi provides techniques to help parents develop their out-loud reading skills, shows how to create the right mood, and gives practical advice on how to talk with your child about what he or she has just heard. After each story, there is a brief list of affirmations which help to settle the message in the minds of both parent and child.

Does Duck dazzle as much as the peacock? Does he dawdle like the tortoise, or does he dash like the hare? No? Well, what does Duck do? Does Duck . . . dare? A gorgeous new story from the author of TELL ME SOMETHING HAPPY BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP and the illustrator of DADDY IS MY HERO.

Good puss or bad cat?Jekyll or Hyde?One and the same?Who decides?Puss Jekyll is the soft cuddly cat of the house grooming her fur, but at night she becomes Cat Hyde, hunting mice, all fang and claw. Page by page this delightful book explores the two very distinct personalities of the enchanting pet. Sleeping in a cosy spot or prowling in the moonlight, lapping milk from a bowl or stalking a defenceless trembling vole, playing with a ball of wool or savaging her prey, graceful and aristocratic or ruthless street fighter, can this really be the same creature?The beautifully evocative rhythmic and rhyming text is accompanied by luminous coloured-pencil and watercolour drawings that make the reader want to reach out and feel the fur. This treat for cat-lovers of all ages is from the highly acclaimed author of bestselling picture books such as Tell Me Something Before You Go to Sleep, and the illustrator of such classics as Martin Waddell''s The Pig in the Pond and the Boston Globe Horn Book Award winning In the Rain with Baby Duck.

Willa has trouble falling asleep until her brother reminds her of all the happy things that await her in the morning.

This delightful collection of mini hardback picture books contains five stories that are ideal for sharing either at home or on the go. The pack contains everything from hilarious rhymes to bedtime classics: Quentin Blake''s Mister Magnolia, Anthony Browne''s Willy and Hugh, John Prater''s Again!, The Owl and the Pussycat illustrated by Ian Beck, and Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep by Joyce Dunbar and Debi Gliori.